


Water and Flame

by HASA_Archivist



Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Poetry, War of the Ring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-18
Updated: 2015-04-18
Packaged: 2018-03-23 13:31:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3770216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HASA_Archivist/pseuds/HASA_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Denethor ponders the future of the West after a bout with the palantir.</p><p>
  <b>Semi-finalist at the 2004 Mithril Awards for Best Poetry – short form.</b>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Water and Flame

**Author's Note:**

> Note from the HASA Transition Team: This story was originally archived at [HASA](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Henneth_Ann%C3%BBn_Story_Archive), which closed in February 2015. To preserve the archive, we began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in February 2015. We posted announcements about the move, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this author, please contact The HASA Transition Team using the e-mail address on the [HASA collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/hasa/profile).

Some say the West will end with water,  
Some say in flame.  
And if dear Atalante's slaughter  
Should foretell, I hold with water.  
For as the wave from furthest West  
Ascended Meneltarma's height,  
Gift once possessed  
Proved then our plight.

But fate denies an end so grand  
To Western sons;  
Orodruin's ash expands  
And e'er we start, the East has won.  
For I have seen it in my stone:  
The burning plains, the Cruelest Eye.  
We stand alone;  
The West shall die.

*****  
Author's Notes  
[1] This poem is written in the style of Robert Frost's poem ["Fire and Ice"](http://www.bartleby.com/155/2.html).  
[2] ATALANTE: Alternate name for Numenor.  
[3] MENELTARMA: mountain on Numenor  
[4] GIFT: A reference both to Numenor itself (a gift of the Valar to the Men who had fought against Sauron) and to death (which was originally a gift of Iluvatar to all Men).  
[5] ORODRUIN: Mount Doom


End file.
